LG G5 Gets Canadian Pricing – Cheaper than Galaxy S7

Rogers and Fido have prices live for the LG G4, which is set to also hit Bell, MTS, SaskTel, WIND Mobile, and Videotron on April 8.

Rogers has the G5 listed for $299.99 up-front on a 2-year contract, and $799.99 outright. Fido, which is owned by Rogers, also has the G5 up for $300 on a 2-year contract, and $800 outright.

Interestingly, both of these pricepoints are exactly $100 cheaper than the standard GS7 on either carrier, and the same price as the GS7 Edge.

Pricing is yet to be revealed for the rest of Canada’s carrier lineup, but the chances are good things will be pretty similar across the board.

For $100 less is it a better deal?

This isn’t such an easy competition to judge. Where previously both manufacturers released nearly identical phones in terms of user experience, this year Samsung and LG are offering seriously different devices.

LG G5

The LG G5 is a modular smartphone… sort-of. The bottom chin can be slipped off and replaced with another module, changing the device’s specialty focus. Initially, the CAM Plus (camera module) and the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY (HD Audio module) will be available.

The camera module adds a larger battery, a thick grip, and some standard camera button and slider toggles for easier shooting. It makes no changes to the lenses or image quality.

The audio module increases audio quality from 24 bit up to 32bit 385KHz. It includes its own headphone jack (the standard jack is up the top), which you’ll need to use if you want the better sound.

You can purchase these extra bits of hardware if you feel like you’d benefit from it. Either can be swapped in or out at any time, as long as you’re happy to restart your phone. It’s an intriguing idea, but not necessarily one that will suit everyone.

Aside from that, the G5 has a dual lens rear 16MP/8MP camera for ultra wide-angle shots, a 2800mAh battery, 32GB of internal storage, 4GB of RAM, and a powerful CPU.

Galaxy S7

Samsung hasn’t been so creative with its approach. The S7 and S7 Edge are receiving rave reviews, but is essentially what you’d expect from a new generation smartphone. Everything is evolution; not revolution, aside from the fact that the Edge model is a larger 5.5 inch device this time around.

Water resistance has come back after taking a brief holiday from the S6, but otherwise the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are standard upgrades over their predecessor.

That’s not a bad thing; the S7 is pretty much the Ferrari of phones right now. Both phones are sexy, fast, powerful, and come rocking top of the line hardware.

The camera is possibly the best on the market (although it’s yet to be thoroughly compared to the G5), and has a surprisingly flawless fingerprint scanner.

Verdict

Basically, it’s up to you which device you prefer. Neither option appears to be objectively better than the other at this point. The LG G5 will appeal to folks who want the option for HD audio or a funky camera/battery add-on, but if that’s the case then they’ll have to pay extra to get it.

The Galaxy S7 is a simpler, more-familiar device from the world’s most popular Android handset maker.

The $100 difference between the two devices should certainly play a factor in your decision making, but unlike in previous years it should not be the main point of consideration. These two phones are different enough that their features should be placed front and centre, and their price difference should come as a secondary concern.

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